A short article about a 1952 International Harvester COE Rat Wrecker being built by Sam Humston in Louisville, Kentucky
Tag: street rod nationals
Exploring and Building Presets In Topaz B&W Effects and NIK Analog Pro Plugins
This post looks at using Topaz Software with various NIK Software to create your own plugin presets for HDR photography.
Faux HDR with Topaz Adjust
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Today I’m wrapping up my automotive theme of the past week with this shot from the NSRA Streetrod Nationals a couple of years ago. Unlike most of my current work this image is a single frame which means it isn’t a true HDR image. I used Topaz Adjust to create the overall feeling of the shot and emphasize the sky and clouds while still rendering the truck’s shadow detail. By working with Topaz Adjust I was able to pull out the wonderful colors and tones that were in the image.
I hope you have enjoyed this week’s posts and writings. My goal with SpeedDemon2 is to share my workflow and discoveries as I evaluate and apply the many plug-ins that are out there today. I won’t claim that I’m an expert with any of them but after several years of exploring them I do have a pretty good handle on their strengths and their shortcomings. Plug-ins won’t make a poor composition or a badly exposed image better but when applied to photographs that are well thought out and well executed they can definitely add interest and a personal style to your work.
Topaz, NIK and OnOne are really expanding the capabilities and usability of their products as they learn from their customers what they, the end users, want and need. The ability to combine presets, modify the presets and also create your own presets is rapidly expanding the range of styles and results we can get without spending hours or days inside Photoshop. Adobe’s decision to stop selling it’s creative suite and offering a subscription only model is, in my opinion, driving this expansion of features and functionality and will ultimately benefit all of us who enjoy creating photographic art.
On that note I want to mention that Topaz Labs has added another incredible program to their already extensive line. Topaz ReStyle is their latest offering and from my short exploration yesterday I think it will be a great addition to my workflow. ReStyle contains over 1000 presets and each one is fully customizable to allow the artist to fully explore his or her vision for their images. It is on sale at an introductory price of $29.99 (the regular price after 08/31/2013 is $59.99)with the coupon code restyleit.
Use this link to go to the Topaz Labs website and download a free 30 day trial or take advantage of the introductory pricing which is good until August 31, 2013.
http://www.topazlabs.com/705.html
Avoid Cliches
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A cliché or cliche (UK /ˈkliːʃeɪ/ or US /klɪˈʃeɪ/) is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning, or effect, and even, to the point of being trite or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel.[1] (source Wikipedia)
Too often we photographers fall into the trap of shooting the same type of images that we have seen for years. With automobiles and car shows we will often shoot the entire car or some detail like a hood ornament, etc. I suggest you try moving beyond those cliched shots and approach the subject with an abstract approach that still speaks to the essence of the subject but isn’t so obvious.
In this image I fell in love with the bright yellow paint and the complimentary red and blue accents. I chose to use them as leading lines that reinforced the diagonal pattern of the clouds above the car. The blue sky is a direct compliment to the yellow color and also picks up on the blue pinstripes on the red louvers as it also provides background interest to the composition . While there is no question that the subject is an automobile the overall effect is to emphasize color and composition instead of being just another photo of a car.
I used my regular HDR brackets +2, 0 and -2 EV and processing with NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 which allowed me to capture and emphasize things such as the texture in the clouds and the reflections in the the door. I finished the image in Aperture 3 using some minor adjustments to the blue and yellow color channels, cropping and sharpening.
Using Handheld Bracket Sets for HDR Images
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I found another good use for HDR processing last week while photographing at the NSRA Streetrod Nationals here in Louisville. It’s always difficult to capture the details inside the cabins of these cars in a single exposure. By shooting a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV I was able to tame the highlights and reach into the shadows. I shoot handheld whenever I can to allow myself the luxury of being able to frame my images without the hinderance that a tripod creates. I have found that applying 20% Ghost Reduction and checking Align Images in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 compensates nicely for any camera movement that a handheld bracket set creates. In this image you can see the texture in the carpet as clearly as if it had been shot from a tripod.
I used the Balanced Preset in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 as my starting point for merging the three frames before tone mapping the image. I then returned the image to Aperture 3 where I completed my adjustments to exposure and contrast before applying sharpening.
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For this monotone image I took the color HDR image into OnOne Perfect Photo 7.5 and used the Perfect B&W application. I started with the Ambrotype preset and then made several changes to it’s default setting. I used a cream color for the paper tone and a deep blue for the silver tones. The ambrotype preset includes a border bit I didn’t care for it so I also changed it with the border adjustment tab. I chose the Emulsion #003 and added it and I also changed the width of the edge to something I felt better fit the image. By beginning with my HDR image I was able to show the same detail in the shadow areas as I had in the color image and also control the contrast and highlights.
